ABA ROLI Organizes an Appreciation Event for Its Partners in Kosovo

July 2011

On June 27, the ABA Rule of Law Initiative (ABA ROLI) organized an event inappreciation of its local partners in its almost 12 years of programming in Kosovo.

ABA ROLI Director in Kosovo Gina Schaar, Deputy Director of the U.S. Agency for International Development Mission in Kosovo Azza Al Abd, Kosovo’s Minister of Justice Hajredin Kuci, Kosovo Chamber of Advocates (KCA) Vice President Nushe Kuka-Mekaj, University of Pristina Law Faculty Vice Dean Osman Ismaili and representatives of other local partners and the donor community attended the event.

ABA ROLI thanked all its local partners in Kosovo for their years of dedicated work to help reform the legal community in Kosovo and distributed appreciation awards to its main counterparts. Likewise, ABA ROLI received contribution acknowledgement awards from the KCA and the University of Pristina Law Faculty.

“We are here today to appreciate ABA ROLI’s work to make KCA a credible institution among the legal community in Kosovo,” said Kuka-Mekaj. “Today wesee a Kosovo Chamber of Advocates with its capacities built, up and running with functional committees, which were strengthened over the years with ABAROLI’s technical assistance.”

For almost twelve years, ABA ROLI has been supporting initiatives to develop the legal profession through legal education reform and legal profession reform programs.

Ismaili said that through ABA ROLI’s legal education reform efforts, his school was able to revise its bachelor’s and master’s degree programs, and to introduce legal clinics to support legal education in Kosovo. “All of them are sustainably working,” he added.

Kuci thanked ABA ROLI for introducing, supporting and making Law Day an important annual event. “USAID’s and ABA ROLI’s support over the years has madeit possible for us to establish important legal institutions in Kosovo,” he said, “Our task in the future is to maintain and make those sustainable.”

The event coincided with preparations to close ABA ROLI’s Kosovo office. However, legacy organizations and partners—including the Ministry of Justice, KCA, Judges’ Association of Kosovo, the Prosecutors’ Association of Kosovo, University of Pristina Law Faculty—remain dedicated to the promotion of rule of law in thecountry for years to come.

To learn more about our work in Kosovo, contact the ABA Rule of Law Initiative at rol@americanbar.org.